Burbank Town Center: Much more than simply an ‘apartment complex’

Plans to redevelop the Burbank Town Center and revive the heart of downtown Burbank made a television debut Friday (!), with a feature on the late afternoon news broadcast of KABC.

The story points out that the area is getting a $400 million makeover, with some residents voicing how the project meets an urgent need to bring in city revenue and housing. “We need it!,” says Burbank resident Dick Roberts.

Another characterized it, quite simply, as “an apartment complex with retail”. Looking at the plans, Burbank’s vision, it is much more than that and hardly “generic”!

It is about something bigger, something for not only us, but our next generation to enjoy.

That said...here’s what we WISH the viewers would have learned:

This is the story of how downtown Burbank evolves. The relocation of IKEA and our readiness to invest in redeveloping the Burbank Town Center creates a rare opportunity to reshape the future of downtown Burbank.

As a proud member of the downtown Burbank community, we welcome the opportunity to generate more foot traffic and new business opportunity for our neighboring retailers through the residential and hotel components of our proposed plans.

Our expansive outdoor plaza located at the intersection of San Fernando Boulevard and Cypress Avenue will feature pedestrian walkways, landscaping and a ton of open space for community events like farmer’s markets, an outdoor ice skating rink and those outdoor movie screenings we all miss -- promoting a walkable and safe environmentfor residents, families and visitors of Burbank.

Last but not least, our hope is that we address the need for housing for both older and younger generations in Burbank by infusing downtown with a 24-hour presence of residents to create a sustainable community. We’ll also create a place for the robust workforce representing the “media capital of the world” to stay and live in Burbank.

Not to get all mushy BUT with your support, we can shape the future of downtown Burbank together! We hope you will participate!